Amazing Veils

Finn performing

The Veils cemented their place as a magnificent yet criminally underrated band, with an emotionally loaded, musically complex and captivating performance on the final afternoon of the Queenscliff Music Festival. Playing on the main stage, the band began their set with the slow buildup and eventual crashing climax of “Not Yet” from their 2006 abum Nux Vomica. They played before an initially modest crowd, most of whom were seated on the ground of the Lighthouse Stage tent. However, the audience steadily increased throughout their set, drawn to their powerful, dark and beautiful music echoing throughout the festival site. After their performance, the reticent but very charming lead singer Finn Andrews was generous enough to give indigo4music an interview.

The Veils are consummate professionals – charismatic, volatile Finn (vocals/guitar/piano); sullen but stunning Sophia Burn (bass); impressively disciplined Henning Dietz (drums); and Dan Raishbrook (guitar/odd noise), who clearly relishes his role as the creator of controlled aural chaos. Their lineup has changed several times over the years, and their sound has evolved in tandem. As Finn said, “it’s hard to know what was just an evolution of writing and playing and touring, or whether it’s specific lineup changes. We’ve had so many; it’s become an evolving thing. The lineup as it is now has been constant for about a year now, most of which we’ve been touring. It’s feeling really solid and I think these are the best shows we’ve ever done.” It’s easy to believe this last statement. The band’s set was occasionally unpredictable but always completely masterful.

The show was a fairly even mix of old and new material, placing songs from their new 2009 album Sun Gangs side by side with older work from their previous two, the aforementioned Nux Vomica and debut album The Runaway Found. Finn was philosophical when asked about his feelings toward those early songs, which include some of his most lyrically ambitious and musically varied compositions. “Our first album was full of songs I wrote when I was fourteen, fifteen. It’s hard to put those alongside ones I’m writing now. There’s some I’ll never touch again. There’s absolutely a cringe factor. I’m proud of them, in a way – it’s nice to have them as a record. If I ever really want to know what I was like when I was fourteen, I can walk into a record store anywhere in the world, and hear those songs.”

L-R: Henning Dietz, Finn Andrews

The band quickly moved on to some of their more recent songs from Sun Gangs, including first single “The Letter”, filled with the band’s familiar chiming notes and heavy chords; and the lovely nostalgia of “The House She Lived In”. A few more welcome older songs were also played – amongst them, The Veils’ first song to receive significant radio play, “Advice For Young Mothers To Be”.

Mid-set, Sophia began the low, ominous opening chords of “Jesus For the Jugular”, heralding an intense and occasionally alarming performance of possibly the most powerful Veils song. Finn’s flawless voice cracked as he began the first verse, breaking jaggedly between notes as he sang “let him go, let him go, let him go for me” with all the primitive honesty of an impassioned plea. At the chorus and the musical bridge, Finn commenced one of the legendary freak-outs for which he is renowned, his body contorting on stage as he attacked his guitar with clawed fingers. His assault was violent enough to break a guitar string, but he carried on with only five strings remaining until the end of the song. The other band members approached similar extremes, each on their own instruments. Many in the family-friendly festival crowd were visibly shocked at this outburst, but none could fail to be impressed by the sheer passion on display. Finn told us later that he more often than not breaks a string or two on stage. “My fingers are the worst. I spend so much money on strings I could probably afford to buy a house if I were more careful.”

After a more measured, calming performance of “Sit Down By the Fire”, the other members of the band left the stage while Finn gave a solo, acoustic mini-set, beginning with a stripped back and completely unadorned version of “The Tide That Left But Never Came Back”. He remained solo for “The Wild Son”, with a simple, tender arrangement full of raw longing, which performed the miracle feat of turning an enormous tent into an intimate setting.

We asked Finn about his creative process, and his response offered an insight into this ability to connect on a strong, personal level with his audience. “I really use songwriting as a way of processing thoughts. I start to get really anxious and freak out if I can’t have that processing in my life. It just makes things make sense to me, it’s very calming and balancing. Whether or not I’m fortunate enough to make records, it’s something I would do anyway. As a result I think it is incredibly close to me, it is completely who I am. Some of my songs are quite fanciful ideas but they still come from the same place. When I play them live I feel the most myself I ever do”. The listener could conjecture that this feeling of peace within Finn is transmitted to his audience, who were held in enthralled silence throughout his solo songs.

The other members of the band rejoined Finn onstage for the final song, “Larkspur”. Moving back into darker, edgy territory, this final song saw Dan bring out a violin bow to assail his guitar with, producing a wild, distinctive sound. The range and diversity of the band’s sound as a whole and Finn’s voice in particular is remarkable, the basis for comparisons to Jeff Buckley’s vocal range clearly evident. However, simultaneously, The Veils have an inimitable and completely unique sound. We asked Finn how he felt about the repeated comparisons drawn by critics to certain musicians (Joy Division, The Smiths, The Birthday Party), and whether he consciously derives inspiration from any other acts. “We get a really wide, confusing cross-section of comparisons. People mention Joy Division and Eartha Kitt in the same review, and I don’t see how that would be possible. I grew up listening to Tom Waits and Bob Dylan. I’d like to have a career worthy of theirs. Honestly, in the past few years, I only ever hear music from bands who we’re opening for or who’re opening for us, or on the car radio. I think the way I write, I actually try not to consider anything else. I think three albums in we’re starting to forge our own path a little more. The first album sounded like a million things, and now our sound is more of our own. That’s what it’s about, finding your voice.”

The Veils left the stage to rapturous applause from a newly won-over crowd. Their sold out shows at the Toff In Town, the final shows of the tour, were similarly lauded. All this acclaim begs the question: what next? Finn said, “well, I bought these shoes [boots gaffer taped together] at the beginning of the tour, and I think tonight will be the end of my shoes as well as of the tour. We’re doing a European tour in February, but I think after that we’ll go off and make a new record.”

In response to our trademarked indigo4music final question, Finn was unguarded and characteristically modest. Asked what advice he would give to struggling musicians trying to be heard, he responded: “Can I do a pre-answer? Every time we get up and play, I don’t expect anyone to be there. Every night I am constantly surprised by people enjoying our music and being in love with our band. As a result, it’s a mystery to me how anyone gets there. To me, I feel like a child.
I guess we try and make our own world completely our own. I think if there was any advice, it would be to concentrate on nothing but that, and on pleasing yourself first.”

The Veils
Lighthouse Stage @ QMF
Sunday 29^th November
2.00-3.00pm

The Veils official website

Review by Veronica Sullivan. Interview with Veronica Sullivan and Eitan Kornfeld. Enormous thank you to Caroline Logan for organising the interview.

I failed to restrain myself from requesting a photo with Finn post-interview. Here it is by popular demand: